Deadly Storm Ciaran Batters Europe with Violent Waves: 7 Lives Lost

Seven people have lost their lives in the violent storm that has ravaged several countries in Europe in the last 24 hours. In France, 1.2 million people lost power.

Winds of up to 55 meters per second swept across the northwestern part of the continent, causing flooding, power outages and huge traffic disruptions. Large areas were blacked out in France during the night. The storm was also well felt further south.

A falling tree claimed the life of a lorry driver in the Aisne region of France. The same happened to a man in the Dutch city of Venray, a woman in central Madrid, a woman in Germany and two people – a five-year-old and a 64-year-old woman – in the Belgian city of Ghent, according to reports from the police in the respective countries . In Le Havre, France, a 70-year-old man suffered fatal injuries when he was caught by the wind and fell from a balcony.

– Winds of this strength are extremely unusual in Brittany, and many records have been broken, reports the French weather service Meteo-France. At the tip of Brittany, a wind strength of 57 meters per second was measured. In the city of Brest, 43 meters per second were measured.

In southern England, hundreds of schools were closed as winds of up to 37 meters per second whipped up huge waves that pounded the coast. On the Channel Island of Jersey, many hotel guests had to be evacuated, and the wind was measured at 45 meters per second.

In flat Netherlands, people were asked to stay indoors. Over 200 departures were canceled from the airport in Amsterdam, one of Europe’s largest.